Emily


by Andy Griffin


On the 4th June 1913, a forty-year-old suffragette, Emily Wilding Davidson from Longhorsley, near Morpeth in Northumberland, died under the hooves of the King's horse in the Epsom Derby. Miss Davidson had gone on her own to the race with the intention of staging a protest in the long-running 'Votes for Women' campaign, but did she intend to die? Was it an unfortunate accident or was it an intentional act of martyrdom?


Tynemouth playwright and historian Andy Griffin is an authority on the suffragette movement and his play EMILY tells of the life and hardship of the militant campaigner in this 90th anniversary of her death. He confesses "I have enormous admiration for Emily Davidson and her struggle in the cause of women's rights. She suffered a great deal and I believe she deserves to be remembered as a local hero."

Emily Davidson was the 'Lieutenant' of the Pankhursts and in spite of her tragic end she lived life to the full and had a tremendous sense of fun, which the production will convey. Tynemouth Pageant Players will perform the one-act entertainment with their usual musical and dramatic expertise.

Emily was performed towards the beginning of June 2003. The first performance was on the 4th of June 2003, exactly 90 years after Emily died.



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